Suspension means for parachute carriers



Sept 5, 1944. J. H. STRONG 2,357,293

- SUSPENSION MEANS FOR PARACHUTE CARRIERS Filed July 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fsw e@ 3mm' Sept. 5, 1944. J. H. STRONG SUSPENSION MEANS FOR PRAGHUTE CARRIERS Filed July 30, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 2 1,35 zelf Patented Sept. 5, 1944 SUSPENSION MEANS FOR PARACHUTE CARRIERS James H. Strong, Windsor, N. J.

Original application July 28, 1939, Serial No. 287,153. Divided and this application July 30, 1941, Serial No. 404,743

(Cl.l 272-6) 8 Claims.

relates to means for suspendcarrier or other load-carrying device from a parachute, and is a division of my application Serial No. 287,153, led July 28, 1939, now Patent No. 2,264,919, issued December 2, 1941.

In the operation of parachute jump amusement devices and in training parachute jumpers, a suitable carrier for the passenger or passengers is an important feature, and the purpose of this invention is to provide a carrier and suspension means for attachment to a captive parachute which will meet the requirements for comfort and safety in the operation of such devices.

Specic objects are to improve the construction of the carrier and suspension means to provide adequate strength with light Weight, to safeguard the passengers in case of accidental breakage of some part of the suspension means,

This invention ing a passenger to prevent accidental overturning of the carrieror falling of passengers from the carrier, and to prevent passengers or others from severing or disconnecting any important element of the suspension system. Y 1

Other objects and advantages of the invention appear hereinafter in connection with the description of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a three-quarter front elevation of the parachute and carrier supported by the shock absorbing means at the bottom of the descent, in readiness to be raised by the hoisting means;

Fig. 2 is a three-quarter rear elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the swing type carrier; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the carrier, Figs. 3 and 4 being drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2.

, The complete apparatus comprises one or more parachute assemblies, each of which is adapted to be raised and dropped automatically by means of a hoisting cable Il operating over sheaves supported on arms on a suitable high tower, and guided by fixed cables I6, of which there are not less than four for each parachute. The lower ends of the guide cables I6 are secured tofoundation blocks 2l upon which the cushioning posts 22 are mounted, there being a turn buckle 23 or other adjusting means for adjusting the tension of each guide cable to keep it sufficiently taut to avoid undue sidewise movement of the parachutes in their ascent and descent. There are four posts 22 at each station, preferably made ,the tower overhanging the upper of steel tubes or other material having some lateral exibility and tall enough to afford adequate space for cushioning the parachute at the end of its drop.

The hoisting drums (not shown) are of standard design and are provided with automatic guides for laying the cables Il on them as they are wound up and unwound and the usual safety devices. They are driven through suitable reduction gears by electric motors equipped with pushbutton controlled starting rheostats. Automatic brakes also operated by push-button control means are provided for the hoisting drums.` The system comprises a control panel at each motor and another control panel 29, at each ground station, with the necessary electric circuits and power lines, all of this electrical equipment being of standard design, and these parts of the system require no detailed description.

Each hoisting cable is provided at its free end with a head 30 for attachingit to the corresponding parachute and which is guided centrally between the guide cables IB by means of sliding fittings 3l to which it is connected by steel wires or cables 32 fitted with short sections of rubber cord 33 to give them a limited amount of stretch, and each hoisting head preferably embodies a grappling and releasing mechanism having a portion 43 for engaging a fitting on the peak of the parachute similar to that illustrated in my Patent No. 2,121,413, dated June 21, 1938, for an automatic releasing device, together with a safety device connected to brakes on the sliding fittings 3l operated by means of lines 52 fitted with rubber cord sections 54 for arresting the descent of the hoisting head should the hoisting cable fail. The hoisting heads arerentirely automatic in their operation, each being actuated to release the suspended parachute by the engagement of the buffer 4l against the underside of a fixed stop mounted on the arm of end of the path of movement of the parachute.

Each parachute comprises a canopy 5l which in the apparatus illustrated, is removably se-Y cured to a steel spreader ring around its perimeter by means of straps or other suitable fastenings, Yand this ring is attached by snap hooks 59` at four points to guide blocks 6l slidably mounted on the guide cables IE. Also slidably mounted on the guide cables I6 below the guide blocks 6I and above the brackets 81 are cushioning fittings 8l, normally held by the lines 18 and vrubber' shock cords 80 in position for catching the parachute and suspended parts at the lower end of each drop, as described in my application Serial No. 287,153, now Patent No. 2,264,919, issued December 2, 1941.

The swing l2 is made of a light metal frame |00, a wood bottom supported thereby and in turn supporting a cushion |02, and a flexible back |03 and sides made of double strips of webbing reinforced with fine wire cables |05, all supported from a spreader bar |06, by spring suspension means from which depend two vertical webbing members |01 joined by a plurality of diagonal webbing members |01', all of which are reinforced with metal cables and secured at their lower ends to members |04 running to the sides and corners of the seat, and to the back, respectively, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. These side and back webbing members pass completely under the seat to constitute a sling for supporting the seat and passengers. The spring suspension means includes two groups of rubber shock members |08, one at each end of the spreader bar, secured between upper and lower fittings |09 which are provided with removable pins ||0 to enable the number of rubbers to be changed to suit different conditions of use. Two safety cables limit the amount of stretch of the rubber shock members.

In order to prevent overturning of the swing, a bar ||2 projects forward from the seat frame on each side, and each bar is connected at its front end with the lower rubber fitting |09 by means of a cable ||3 enclosed in a stiff metal when the parachute is extended vertically by the hoisting means without putting any strain on the suspension cables or shrouds, so that when the parachute is inflated the bridle will be slack. A rubber cord holds the snap hooks |24 in place properly when the bridle is slack. The snap hooks |24 are of the type that in themselves retain the eyes at the ends of the bridle from disengagement, and the rubber cords merely pre vent the snap hooks from accidentally turning over on their pivotal points of connection to the fittings |09 `and thereby permitting the bridle |23 f to foul the suspension shroud lines |8, which tube ||4. A wide webbing strap H5, made double and reinforced with light wire cables H5', is secured at one end beneath the seat and the other end may be passed over the laps of the passengers and made fast below the seat by means of a strong buckle IIB, out of reach of the passengers. Thus the passengers may be secured to the seat so as to prevent them from falling, and the parts of the swing are so constructed that the passengers cannot overturn the swing or free themselves by the use of knives or other means available to them while in the air.

The spreader or suspension bar |06 is suspended from the parachute directly by the shrouds 66, which are brought down in twogroups and made fast to shackles H1 connected to the spreader bar by heavy webbing supports ||8 embracing U-shape fittings at its ends. 'I'he spreader bar is also suspended from the guide cables I6 and spreader ri g 60 by means of four cables ||9, each of which is secured to a support in the lower end of one of the guide blocks 6| by means of a ring, and the lower ends of these cables ||9 are connected to snap hooks |21 at the ends of the spreader bar, thereby providing a reliable suspension means for the swing. As each canopy skirt is strapped to its spreader ring, which in turn is strapped to the guide blocks and also held in place between two arms 59 carried thereby which project inwardly far enough to engage above and below the spreader ring, the failure of one or two fittings or cables or shroud lines will not permit the swing to break away from the parachute assembly so as to fall freely, even should the ring itself break.

For elevating the swing when the parachute is deflated, a separate bridle 23 is provided, the upper end of which is attached to the center post fitted in the peak of the parachuteV to be engaged by the hoisting head. The lower ends of the bridle are attached to the swing suspension meansby snap hooks |24. This bridle is made just long enough to carry the weight of the swing are loose when the bridle picks up the weight of the swing at the start of the ascent and remain loose for some twenty feet of the initial drop after the bridle has let go at the top of the ascent during which time the canopy is deflated. A light line |26 is connected to one part of the bridle near the lower end to trip the holdingdown hook |21 by raising the keeper |28 when the hoisting cable picks up the weight of the swing and stretches the bridle taut, as hereinafter described.V

The shock cords normally support the sliding fittings 8| and deflated parachutaswing and hoisting head near the tops of the cushioning posts, in which position the swing is four or five feet above the ground, and steps |29 are provided for convenient access. These steps are preferably supported on a metal frame |30, which is pivoted at its front end to a base frame |3| and provided with a handle |32 for turning it over to remove the steps from under the swing after the passengers are seated in order to make room for the swing to drop nearly to the ground upon its descent. A hold-down cable |33 is provided for holding the swing down at a convenient height above the ground to enable the passengers to get on and off the swing, the releasable hook |21 being connected to its free end as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At the rear end of the ground frame is mounted a hand winch |34 having a winding drum geared to a crank |35 and provided with a ratchet and pawl device for preventing unwinding of the cable. The free end'of the cable is detachably secured to the swing by ring |36 which hooks into the pelican hook |21 which in turn is supported by a ring |31 secured beneath the seat by short tie members |38. The keeper 4|28 is tripped by the line |26 which runs to the bridle when the lifting strain of the hoisting cable straightens out the bridle to lift the swing, thereby automatically releasing the swing from the holding-down cable and permitting the swing to ascend, the shock cords 80 assistingV in starting the swing upwards when the holding-down cable is released.

The apparatus may be operated by a single ground attendant, although two attendants can handle the passengers more expeditiously. After the passengers are seated, the safety strap 6 is buckled around them, and the hoisting motor starting button on the control panel 29 is :pressed to elevate the swing. The pelican hook |21 trips automatically, and after the swing clears the cushioning posts, the steps |29 are turned over forwardsout of ythe way by the at. tendant, who then watches the ascent until the hoisting head reaches the top of its travel and the contact member 4| strikes the fixed tripping plate on the arm overhead and opens the sliding jaws to release Ithe parachute. At the same time the hoisting motor is automatically stopped. The attendant thereupon presses the button on the control panel 29 to reverse'the hoisting 'motor and lower the hoisting head.v Should anything go wrong during the ascent or descent, the motor can be stopped by turning off the current by the main power switch at either the motor control panel or the ground control panel.

At the bottom of the descent the sliding fittings 6l attached to the parachute skirt strike the sliding fittings 8l on the upper ends of the cushioning posts and depress them, thereby stretching the principal shock cords 80 and the auxiliary shock cords 84. These cords are so adjusted that the momentum of the parachute, swing and passengers will be counterbalanced and checked just before the'sliding fittings 8l strike the brackets 81. The tension in the stretched shock cords will thereupon lift the parachute, swing and passengers four or five feet, and as the swing comes to rest, the attendant hooks on the holding-down cable |33 and operates the winch |34 to pull the swing down to a convenient level for the passengers to disembark, following which he tips the steps back into place and unbuckles the safety strap and helps the :passengers down.

The provision of a holding-down means for l regulating the height at which the swing is held to load and unload passengers makes very high steps unnecesary, and expedites the handling of the passengers, as the attendants can stand on the ground and reach them without difficulty, assisting them so that they do not fall in getting on and on the swing, and making sure that they are properlystrapped in place and that they have a firm grip on the sides of the swing and on each other. .A box |40 is preferably provided for mens and ladies hats and slippers and other articles that might otherwise be lost off or dropped 'while in the air.

The swing is so designed that the passengers cannot overturn it either accidentally or purposely, and the webbing back, sides and safety belt prevent them from falling or jumping off the seat, as they cannot slide out from under the belt. Even small children and drunken persons can be carried with safety, and the rate of ascent and descent is slow enough to prevent physical discomfort or strain upon persons with sensitive or weak organs.

The invention is not restricted to the particular design shown in the drawings, as it is contemplated that changes in the arrangement and details of construction will be necessary to suit manufacturing conditions and locations, and variations in the manner and kind of use of the several novel features. Where the word swing is used in the claims, I mean to include any equivalent device for carrying a suspended load; Vand. by the word resilient I mean to include elastic substances generally, which when deformed, tend to return to their original shape or dimensions.

I claim the following as my invention:

l. A parachute swing including a rigid seat frame and a seat carried thereby, a suspension bar connected at its ends to adjacent ends of the seat frame by means of vertical webbing members, diagonal webbing members connecting said suspension bar to the rear edge of said seat frame, said members being continued beneath and across said frame to support the seat, and fabric cross members connecting the diagonal webbing members and adjacent vertical webbing members to form a flexible back of said swing.

2. A parachute swing including a rigid seat frame and a seat carried thereby, a suspension bar connected at its ends to adjacent ends of vthe seat frame by means of vvertical'webbing -members branching'toithe corners of the seat frame, diagonal webbing members connecting said spreader bar to the rear edge of said seat frame, fabric cross members .connecting the diagonal webbing members and adjacent vertical webbing members to form a exible back for said swing, and means connecting adjacent .vertical and diagonal webbing members to form sides for said swing.

3. A parachute swing for one or more passengers including a rigid seat frame and a seat carried thereby, a suspension bar connected at its ends to adjacent ends of the seat frame by means of double faced vertical webbing members, diagonal webbing members connecting said bar to the rear edge of said seat frame, and fabric cross members connecting the diagonal rear edge webbing members and adjacent vertical members to form a flexible back for said swing, and flexible cables sewn between the faces of said double faced fabric ties to reinforce them and prevent severance thereof by a passenger.

4. A parachute swing including a rigid seat frame and a seat carried thereby, a suspension bar connected at its ends to adjacent ends of the seat frame by means of fabric ties, additional ties connecting said bar to the rear edge of said seat frame, fabric members connecting the rear edge ties and adjacent end ties to form a flexible back for said swing, and bars rigidly connected to and projecting in front of said seat frame at its ends and connected tothe spreader bar by rigid struts to prevent the swing from overturning.

5. In a parachute suspension system for a carrying device, a parachute canopy provided with shrouds, said shrouds being divided into not less than two groupsl with their free ends connected together in each group, a rigid spreader for supporting a passenger-carrying device, the free ends of each of said groups of shrouds being attached to said spreader at spaced points, and connections secured to said spreader at said points at their upper ends and to said passenger-carrying device at their lower ends, in Vcombination with means for relieving-the load of said passenger carrying device on said shrouds when the canopy is deflated.

6. In a parachute suspension vsystem for a carrying device, a parachute canopy provided with shrouds, said shrouds being divided, into not less than two groups with their free ends connected together in each group, a rigid spreader for supporting a passenger-carrying device, the free ends of each of said groups of shrouds being attached to said spreader at spaced points, and connections secured to said spreader at said points at their upper ends and to said passenger-carrying device at their lower ends, said connections comprising extensible resilient members for absorbing unusual stress on said suspension system, in combination with means connected to said spreader for relieving the load of said passenger carrying device on said shrouds when the canopy is deflated.

7. In parachute apparatus for carrying passengers comprising a canopy provided with shrouds and having spaced guiding means for its skirt adapted to slide on guide cables supported from a tower, a spreader bar adapted to be suspended from said shrouds, said spreader bar supporting a passenger-carrying device, and a plurality of connections adapted to be secured to said spreader bar extending between said spreader bar and said skirt guiding means for supporting the passenger-carrying device therefrom independently of said canopy, in combination with means for removably attaching said shrouds and connections to said spreader bar at points spaced lengthwise thereof.

8. In parachute apparatus comprising a parachute having shrouds and a spreader bar supported thereby as described in claim 7, wherein the shrouds are divided into not less than two groups, separate means attached to the free ends of each group respectively connecting said ends together and attached to said spreader bar at spaced points, respectively. Y

JAMES H. STRONG. 

